Wind Mitigation Inspection: How It Lowers Your Florida Insurance Premium

---

A wind mitigation inspection documents the storm-resistant features already built into your roof and home, using Florida’s official OIR-B1-1802 form. State law requires insurers to apply a discount for every feature you can verify, often cutting the wind portion of your premium by 20% to 45%. Many Treasure Coast homes already qualify. The savings simply haven’t been claimed because no one has filed the paperwork.

---

Somewhere in your attic or behind your walls, there’s a good chance you already have the roof straps, the nailing pattern, or the impact windows that Florida insurers pay homeowners to have. What nobody told you is that you can keep getting paid for them every year, in the form of a lower premium. However, that discount only shows up after someone documents it on a specific state form and sends it to your insurer.

It works a bit like a loyalty card you never scan at checkout. The discount exists. It’s just sitting unused until you hand over the paperwork. That paperwork comes from a wind mitigation inspection, and it’s one of the few home upgrades in Florida where you might already own everything you need. You just haven’t cashed it in yet.

What Does Florida’s Wind Mitigation Form Actually Check?

Every wind mitigation inspection in Florida uses the same state-mandated form, OIR-B1-1802. Insurers are required by law to give you credit for each feature you can document, whether that adds up to a few hundred dollars a year or a much larger share of your wind coverage.

The form breaks your home into seven categories:

Form Category	What It Means
Building code and permit date	Was your home built or re-roofed under the Florida Building Code, adopted in 2001? Homes permitted after that date automatically meet higher wind standards.
Roof covering	Does your roofing material carry a current wind-resistance product approval, and was it installed to that standard?
Roof deck attachment	How is the plywood or OSB deck nailed to the trusses? Wider nail spacing offers less protection than a tight, code-compliant pattern.
Roof-to-wall attachment	How does your roof connect to your walls? Toe nails offer the least protection. Metal clips do better. Single and double wrap hurricane straps earn the most credit.
Roof geometry	What shape is your roof? Hip roofs, which slope on all four sides, generally qualify for a discount that gable roofs don’t.
Secondary water resistance (SWR)	Is there a self-adhered membrane or sealed tape system under your roof covering? This backup layer keeps water out if shingles or tiles blow off in a storm.
Opening protection	Are your windows, doors, skylights, and garage door rated to resist wind-borne debris, through impact glass, shutters, or a reinforced garage door?

Each answer maps to a specific discount percentage set by the state, not by your insurance company. That’s why an accurate form matters more than a fast one.

Which of The Form Category Features Can You Check Yourself?

To get a rough sense of where you stand, a few of these are visible without any special training: 

• Roof geometry. Walk your property or pull up a satellite photo. Hip or gable is usually obvious at a glance.
• Permit date. Your county’s building department website will show when your roof or home was last permitted.
• Roof-to-wall connections, sometimes. If your attic is accessible and unfinished, you can often see whether your trusses are strapped or just nailed, though it takes a bit of knowing what you’re looking for.
• Paperwork from a past re-roof. If you kept the invoice or permit from a recent roof replacement, it may already list the underlayment type, which tells you whether SWR was installed.

A quick look at these is usually enough to tell you whether a full inspection is worth booking. However, it isn’t enough for your insurer to accept on its own. The form still has to come from a certified inspector either way.

Which Parts Need a Licensed Inspector to Confirm?

Three sections of the form are difficult, and sometimes unsafe, to verify on your own. Florida requires them to be documented by someone trained to do it:

• Roof deck attachment. Confirming the nail spacing usually means accessing the attic decking directly and following a measurement protocol your insurer will accept.
• Opening protection. Impact-rated windows, doors, and shutters carry a product approval number that has to be matched against state records. A sticker on the glass isn’t proof by itself.
• Roof covering compliance. An inspector checks your roofing material against its original product approval and installation method, not just its age.

Florida also requires the completed form to be signed and sealed by someone in an approved category: a licensed contractor, home inspector, engineer, architect, or building code official. A homeowner’s own notes, however accurate, won’t satisfy an insurer.

How Much Does a Wind Mitigation Inspection Cost?

Most wind mitigation inspections in Florida run somewhere between $75 and $200, depending on the size of your home and how easy your attic and roof are to access. That’s the full cost. There’s no ongoing fee, and the form stays valid for five years unless your roof or home structure changes in the meantime.

Schedule a Roof Inspection and we’ll give you a straight answer about whether it’s likely to pay off before you spend anything.

Will the Inspection Actually Lower Your Premium?

Usually, yes. Not always, and it’s worth being honest about when it won’t.

It’s likely to pay off if:

• Your home was built or re-roofed after 2001, when code requirements tightened significantly.
• You’ve added storm shutters, impact windows, or a full re-roof at some point and never submitted an updated form.
• Your current premium already carries hurricane and wind coverage as a major line item, which describes most homes on the Treasure Coast.

It’s less likely to pay off if:

• Your roof and openings are original to a home built well before 2001, with no upgrades since.
• Your insurer already has a wind mitigation form on file from within the past five years and nothing on your roof has changed.
• A quick attic check shows toe-nail connections, a gable roof, and no impact protection, which points to a form that confirms there isn’t much to claim yet.

If your self-check turns up mostly “no” answers, it may make more sense to put that money toward retrofitting your roof rather than paying to document that the upgrades aren’t there yet. If a full re-roof is already on your radar, Roof Replacement Cost Treasure Coast 2026walks through what it actually costs to upgrade to a roof that qualifies for stronger wind mitigation credits.

When Is the Best Time to Schedule a Wind-Mitigation Inspection?

The best time is before hurricane season. Insurers see a surge of requests once storms are in the forecast, so scheduling early avoids the wait. If the inspection turns up gaps, you’ll also have time to address them before wind season puts them to the test. Our Hurricane Season Roof Checklist for Treasure Coast Homeowners covers the rest of what to look at during that same pre-storm walk-through.

Who Should You Hire to Do your Wind-Mitigation Roof Inspection?

Not everyone who offers to perform a “wind mitigation inspection” is certified to complete the form your insurer will accept. Before you book anyone, confirm they hold one of the licenses Florida requires for this specific report. Our published article on “Is Your Florida Roofer Licensed? Here’s How to Check” walks through exactly how to verify that, whether you’re hiring for an inspection or a repair.

FoxHaven Roof carries both residential and commercial credentials across South Florida. You can review them on our About page.

What Happens After You Get the Form?

Once the inspection is complete, the inspector signs and seals the form. You, or your inspector on your behalf, submit it directly to your insurance carrier. Florida insurers are required to apply the corresponding discounts to your policy, though the exact dollar impact depends on your carrier’s rate filing. Most homeowners see the adjustment reflected at their next renewal.

A wind mitigation inspection isn’t a big renovation, and it isn’t guesswork either. It’s a short visit, a state form, and an honest answer about what your home already has going for it. If you’d like to know whether it’s worth it for your home before you spend a dime, reach out through our contact page and we’ll walk you through it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every Florida home qualify for a wind mitigation discount?

No. The discount is tied to specific, verifiable features on your roof and openings. A home with none of the seven qualifying features may see little to no reduction, even after a completed inspection.

How long does a wind mitigation inspection form stay valid?

Five years, as long as nothing about your roof or structure changes in that time. A new roof, added shutters, or storm damage repairs can all reset that clock.

Is a wind mitigation inspection the same as a four-point inspection?

No. A four-point inspection checks the age and condition of your roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems for insurability. A wind mitigation inspection checks for storm-resistant construction features tied to discounts. Many inspectors offer both during the same visit.

Does a brand-new roof automatically qualify me for savings?

Not automatically. A new roof installed to current code often qualifies for strong deck attachment and roof covering credits, but the inspection still has to happen and the form still has to be filed before your insurer applies anything.

Who is allowed to complete the wind mitigation form in Florida?

State law limits this to specific categories: licensed general or building contractors, home inspectors, engineers, architects, roofing contractors, and building code officials. The form has to be signed and sealed by someone in one of those categories.

Does the inspection guarantee my premium will go down?

No. It documents what’s actually there. If your home already has strong wind-resistant features, you’re likely to see real savings. If it doesn’t, the honest outcome is a form that confirms there isn’t much to claim yet.